Bob's Bests #2: Most Underrated Singles

[Bob]

These are my top 10 most underrated songs of the past year or so. The point of my "Bob's Bests" series is to bring attention to some really good music that you should all give a listen to.

1. "Star" - 702
This beat is really hot, it didn't fit into the most common sounds of the time but it's still really hot. The vocals are great, the lyrics are actually better than average, and it's great to sing along to. Way underrated.

2. "Emotional Rollercoaster" - Vivian Green
I know, this was actually pretty highly rated, right? Even though her album is really redundant, these are among the best lyrics to come out of R&B in a few years, and of course the vocals are on point. Very memorable song.

3. "Forthenight" - Musiq
Although it's really bland at first (and second) glance, this song has a real feel-good vibe to it, and it doesn't get old.

4. "Knock Knock"/"Get It Off" - Monica
Should have gone pretty much to #1 R&B-- clever lyrics with INCREDIBLE vocal arrangement by Monica; who else could have sung this song like she did? And talk about a vibe, this song gets you flowing and rolling around with it, from start to finish-- that's just about "Knock Knock". The "Get It Off" beat is one of Missy's freshest from the last couple years.

5. "Girl Talk" - TLC
This did decently, but the beat is actually one of the hottest we've heard in a long time. Play this in your car system and you'll see what I mean. It can go to toe-to-toe with almost any TLC song.

6. "Relax Your Mind" - Boyz II Men ft. Faith Evans
This wasn't even granted a video, and yet is one of the best collaborations in years. The vocals could NOT be ANY better, the lyrics are sweet, and the beat just takes you right along with it. Should have been an instant classic. Like with 702 and TLC, it suffered from the fact that the artist (in this case Faith's part is barely more than a cameo) is seen as old news.

7. "Breathe" - Blu Cantrell ft. Sean Paul
Should have been huge like it was in the UK, and should have saved Blu from 1-hit wonder status, this song is easily her best ever, it's just flawless.

8. "Ooh" - Mary J. Blige
This also did decent, but when you listen to it closely and think about it, this is some of the truest, most soulful and yet up-to-date R&B we've yet heard this millenium. Mary's vocals are in rare form and the horns on this track are just knock-out. Was robbed of the Grammy.

9. "I Love You More" - Ginuwine
Would have been a huge hit in another day and age, didn't get the attention it deserved.

10. "Red Light" - Jonny Lang
I know, you're thinking, "this isn't your music". Whatever-- this song was awesome, it really sounds like a classic, you'd think it was one of those songs that has just always been around. Way way underrated.

[singingsparrow]

#1: Pete Yorn: Crystal Village: (When will poor Pete get his due?)

#2: Thursday: Signals In The Air

#3: Third Eye Blind: Crystal Baller

#4: Dave Matthews: Gravedigger

#5: Coldplay: Moses

#6: Live: Heaven (it got attention on Hot AC but CHR/Pop abandoned them)

#7: Dixie Chicks: Top Of The World (not sure if it was an airplay single, but with a brilliant video, it should have went to Triple A and Hot AC.)

#8: Gavin DeGraw: Follow Through

#9: Lucinda Williams: Righteously

#10: Pay The Girl: Freeze

Sincerely,
Noah Eaton

[EvanJ]

SingingSparrow said:

#6: Live: Heaven (it got attention on Hot AC but CHR/Pop abandoned them)

Alternative abandoned them. CHR-Pop hadn't played Live recently before "Heaven."

[singingsparrow]

EvanJ said:

Alternative abandoned them. CHR-Pop hadn't played Live recently before "Heaven."

In fact I don't think anything they released charted after "Lightning Crashes" on CHR/Pop (unless "All Over Me" was released after that from the album)

Live is one of the most underrated bands out there. I understand their follow-up to Throwing Copper, "Secret Samadhi", had very little radio-friendly material ("Turn My Head" being the only CHR/Pop friendly track on the album) but even so they've had the right idea but have been neglected incessently. ("The Dolphin's Cry", "Run To The Water" and "They Stood Up For Love" all could have been hits)

As for "Birds of Pray" alone, it was a mega-album that never was.

Sincerely,
Noah Eaton

[jond7699]

Gavin Degraw was robbed of having a hit with "Follow Through". I thought his John Mayeric formula towards pop music would work well for him

[irice22]

I agree withn a lot of those, but I really have to second about how good "Red Light" is.

[Edf85]

"Girl Talk" DOES have a hot beat! Eddie Hustle is the jam

[Bob]

irice22 said:

I agree withn a lot of those, but I really have to second about how good "Red Light" is.

im glad u agree--- i wish he were more popular

[Gorminako]

I agree with "Forthenight" and "Ooh", and Vivian Green in general, and the fact I haven't even heard some of the songs, like the ones from Boyz II Men, Ginuwine, Monica and 702, all prominent artists, indicates that they weren't given a fair shake, either. For TLC, I would go with "Hands Up".

Here are, in my opinion, some other highly underrated songs of the past year or so, off the top of my head:

Titiyo "Come Along"
Toni Braxton "Hit The Freeway"
Korn "Alone I Break"
Tracy Chapman "You're The One"
Joe "I Want A Girl"
Disturbed "Remember"
Bruce Springsteen "Waiting On A Sunny Day"
3 Doors Down "The Road I'm On"
Seether "Driven Under"
Shinedown "Fly From The Inside"
Tori Amos "Strange"
Travis "Re-Offender"
112 "Hot & Wet"
En Vogue "Losin' My Mind"

There are undoubtedly many others as these days a song's quality has little correlation with how well it does on the charts, or how often it is played on the radio.

[Adonis the DemiGod!]

okletthisworksvp said:

These are my top 10 most underrated songs of the past year or so. The point of my "Bob's Bests" series is to bring attention to some really good music that you should all give a listen to.

1. "Star" - 702
This beat is really hot, it didn't fit into the most common sounds of the time but it's still really hot. The vocals are great, the lyrics are actually better than average, and it's great to sing along to. Way underrated.

2. "Emotional Rollercoaster" - Vivian Green
I know, this was actually pretty highly rated, right? Even though her album is really redundant, these are among the best lyrics to come out of R&B in a few years, and of course the vocals are on point. Very memorable song.

3. "Forthenight" - Musiq
Although it's really bland at first (and second) glance, this song has a real feel-good vibe to it, and it doesn't get old.

4. "Knock Knock"/"Get It Off" - Monica
Should have gone pretty much to #1 R&B-- clever lyrics with INCREDIBLE vocal arrangement by Monica; who else could have sung this song like she did? And talk about a vibe, this song gets you flowing and rolling around with it, from start to finish-- that's just about "Knock Knock". The "Get It Off" beat is one of Missy's freshest from the last couple years.

[Bob]

Gorminako said:

I agree with "Forthenight" and "Ooh", and Vivian Green in general, and the fact I haven't even heard some of the songs, like the ones from Boyz II Men, Ginuwine, Monica and 702, all prominent artists, indicates that they weren't given a fair shake, either. For TLC, I would go with "Hands Up".

Here are, in my opinion, some other highly underrated songs of the past year or so, off the top of my head:

Titiyo "Come Along"
Toni Braxton "Hit The Freeway"
Korn "Alone I Break"
Tracy Chapman "You're The One"
Joe "I Want A Girl"
Disturbed "Remember"
Bruce Springsteen "Waiting On A Sunny Day"
3 Doors Down "The Road I'm On"
Seether "Driven Under"
Shinedown "Fly From The Inside"
Tori Amos "Strange"
Travis "Re-Offender"
112 "Hot & Wet"
En Vogue "Losin' My Mind"

There are undoubtedly many others as these days a song's quality has little correlation with how well it does on the charts, or how often it is played on the radio.

En VOgue-- YES!! And their new single "ooh boy", very good. its 90s, but VERY good.

Toni-- almost made my list, i love that song.

112-- mmmmaybe Hot & Wet, only if you include Luda. overall their new stuff deserved its lack of attention.

[Bob]

Adonis said:

r u agree w/ me?

[chebingeo]

10. Howie Day - Perfect Time of Day (This video gets played constantly on MtvU, it scored success on Hot AC and Triple A, but it never got much of a moment to shine.)

9. John Mayer - Why Georgia (Lack of support and a rush for his 2nd CD caused this one to miss out on much success)

8. Jessica Simpson - Sweetest Sin (Good song, good songwriter, fresh from Newlyweds, what happened??)

7. Norah Jones - Come Away With Me (Fresh from her grammy sweep, you'd think this one would've been more successful.)

6. Syleena Johnson - Guess What (In an era where everyone on the urban chart was guarenteed a pop hit, why did this gem slip through the cracks?)

5. LeAnn Rimes - We Can (Great song, but little exposure caused this to flop)

4. Clay Aiken - This is the Night (Dispite a #1 on the Hot 100, radio pretty much ignored this just because it was Clay.  Also cause he didn't grunt, swear, or say "burfday".)

3. Anggun - Counting Down (If the movie was even considered for a US release, and there was a label to back the soundtrack, this could've spelled "hit".)

2. Amber - Anyway (Men Are From Mars) (Again, another victim of the "label doesn't care" curse.  With almost no promotion, this was Amber's first miss at #1 on the dance chart in 5 years.

1. Celine Dion - I Drove All Night (Had the label gave a rat's ass about her, this could've been a lot bigger.  Unfortunately she didn't curse, grunt or say "Burfday" in the song)

[Bob]

Wow, Syleena Johnson has to go down as a most underrated artist overall... maybe her new guest spot with Kanye West will bring some way overdue attention. I may do a Bob's Best series on artists like her who don't get recognition they deserve.

[Edf85]

Those new En Vogue songs are awful and boring.

They need to pack their bags and close up shop.

[Bob]

Edf85 said:

Those new En Vogue songs are awful and boring.

They need to pack their bags and close up shop.

well as you can see, i'm not the only one who disagrees-- unfortunately people with views like yours are winning out

[pkwi]

Here are a few of my picks:

No Doubt-"Trapped In A Box"
Nelly Furtado- "Powerless(Say What You Want)"